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Abstract:

An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus includes a plurality of
blower fans provided adjacent to each other in a left-right direction, a
heat exchanger, and a plurality of vertical vanes that are provided in an
air outlet and that deflect an airflow to be blown out from the air
outlet in a left/right direction. Further, when the airflow to be blown
out from the air outlet is deflected in at least one direction in the
left/right direction, the air volume of the blower fan disposed on the
leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes corresponding
to the deflection direction is reduced relative to the air volume of the
other blower fan.

Claims:

1. An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus, comprising: a casing
being formed with an air inlet in an upper portion of the casing and with
an air outlet on a lower front side of the casing; a plurality of blower
fans, including a propeller type or a mixed flow type, being provided on
a downstream side of the air inlet so as to be adjacent to each other
along a left-right direction of the casing; a heat exchanger being
provided on a downstream side of the blower fans and on an upstream side
of the air outlet, the heat exchanger exchanging heat between air that
has been blown out from the blower fans and a refrigerant; and a
plurality of vertical vanes being oscillatably provided in the air outlet
in the left-right direction, the vertical vanes deflecting airflow to be
blown out from the air outlet in a left/right direction, wherein at time
of deflecting the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet with the
vertical vanes in at least one direction in the left/right direction, an
air volume of a blower fan of the blower fans disposed on a leftmost side
or a rightmost side of the vertical vanes corresponding to the deflection
direction is reduced relative to an air volume of a blower fan other than
the blower fan disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side.

2. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
at time of deflecting the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet
with the vertical vanes in at least one direction in the left/right
direction, the air volume of the blower fan disposed on the leftmost side
or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes corresponding to the
deflection direction is reduced.

3. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
at time of deflecting the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet
with the vertical vanes in at least one direction in the left/right
direction, an air volume of at least one blower fan other than the blower
fan disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical
vanes corresponding to the deflection direction is increased.

4. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
the vertical vanes are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right
direction with a predetermined gap between each other, one or some of the
gaps is formed to be larger than the other gaps, at time of deflecting
the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet with the vertical vanes
in at least one direction in the left/right direction, an air volume of a
blower fan of the blower fans disposed above the gap formed to be larger
is reduced.

5. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
the vertical vanes are provided adjacent to each other in the left-right
direction with a predetermined gap between each other, one of the gaps is
formed to be larger than the other gaps at time of deflecting the airflow
to be blown out from the air outlet with the vertical vanes in at least
one direction in the left/right direction, among the blower fans other
than the blower fan disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side
of the vertical vanes corresponding to the deflection direction, an air
volume of at least one blower fan other than the blower fan disposed
above the gap formed to be larger is increased.

6. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, further
comprising a horizontal vane extending in the air outlet in the
left-right direction, the horizontal vane deflecting the airflow to be
blown out from the air outlet in an up/down direction, and a support unit
supporting the horizontal vane so as to be oscillatable in the up/down
direction at a midway portion of the horizontal vane, wherein at time of
deflecting the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet with the
vertical vanes in at least one direction in the left/right direction, an
air volume of a blower fan of the blower fans disposed above the support
unit is reduced.

7. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, further
comprising a horizontal vane extending in the air outlet in the
left-right direction, the horizontal vane deflecting the airflow to be
blown out from the air outlet in an up/down direction, and a support unit
supporting the horizontal vane so as to be oscillatable in the up/down
direction at a midway portion of the horizontal vane, wherein at time of
deflecting the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet with the
vertical vanes in at least one direction in the left/right direction,
among the blower fans other than the blower fan disposed on the leftmost
side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes corresponding to the
deflection direction, an air volume of at least one blower fan other than
the blower fan disposed above the support unit is increased.

8. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
three or more the blower fans are provided, and at time of deflecting the
airflow to be blown out from the air outlet with the vertical vanes in at
least one direction in the left/right direction, the air volumes of the
three or more blower fans are progressively increased from the blower fan
on the side in the deflection direction of the vertical vanes to the
blower fan on the opposite side of the deflection direction.

9. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
at time of deflecting the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet
with the vertical vanes in at least one direction in the left/right
direction, depending on a deflection angle of the vertical vanes, the
difference between the air volume of the blower fan disposed on the
leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes corresponding
to the deflection direction and an air volume of a blower fan other than
the blower fan disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side is
changed.

10. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
amount of deflection of the vertical vanes is changed along with elapse
of time.

11. The indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus of claim 1, wherein
the heat exchanger has a concave shape in the lower portion in a cross
sectional view, and upper ends of the vertical vanes are extended into a
space formed by the concave shape.

Description:

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present invention is related to an indoor unit of an
air-conditioning apparatus that includes a plurality of vertical vanes
that deflects airflow to be blown out from an air outlet in a left/right
direction.

BACKGROUND ART

[0002] Hitherto, an indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus has been
proposed in which a plurality of vertical vanes that deflects airflow to
be blown out from an air outlet in a left/right direction are provided in
the air outlet. In this kind of conventional indoor unit, when the
airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is deflected with the
vertical vanes in the left/right direction, conditioned air is not blown
out to the desired direction at the side end portion of the air outlet on
the deflection side, thus a problem that the left/right airflow angle of
the air outlet cannot be widened is encountered. For example, when the
airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is deflected to the left with
the vertical vanes and when the vertical vane increases the deflection
angle, the air that has been deflected by one or more vertical vanes near
the left end side of the air outlet impinges on the left sidewall of the
indoor unit; hence, the direction of the air is disadvantageously altered
to the front direction.

[0003] Further, depending on the positioning and spacing of each of the
vertical vanes, the rate of airflow impinging on the sidewall of the
indoor unit increases; hence, a case in which the general direction of
the airflow blown out from the air outlet is directed to an unexpected
direction has been created.

[0004] Accordingly, in order to widen the left/right airflow angle of the
air outlet, a known indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus is
proposed in which the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus is
"provided with an air outlet 7 formed between a stabilizer 4 and a rear
guider 5 and with rotatable left/right wind direction changing blades 6
that changes a left/right direction of air blown out from the air outlet
7, in which the entire left/right wind direction changing blades 6 are
disposed outside the air outlet 7 such that the indoor unit is capable of
controlling the air direction with the left/right wind direction changing
blades 6 at a location nearer to the user, leading to improved comfort.
Unlike conventional cases in which the left/right wind direction changing
blades 6 are mounted inside the air outlet 7, since there is not side
walls 1b at both ends of the left/right wind direction changing blades 6,
it is possible to obtain a wide discharge angle of the blown out air"
(see Patent Literature 1).

[0006] However, since the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus
disclosed in Patent Literature 1 protrudes the vertical vanes (left/right
wind direction changing blades 6 of Patent Literature 1) outside the air
outlet during operation, the vertical vanes are likely to be in contact
with a hand of a user; hence, the vertical vanes are disadvantageously
moved to an unexpected angle.

[0007] Further, since the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus
disclosed in Patent Literature 1 protrudes the vertical vanes (left/right
wind direction changing blades 6 of Patent Literature 1) outside the air
outlet during operation, the design is disadvantageously degraded.

[0008] The invention is made to overcome the above disadvantages and an
object thereof is to obtain an indoor unit of an air-conditioning
apparatus that is capable of widening a left/right airflow angle of an
air outlet while preventing vertical vanes from being easily in contact
with a hand of a user and design from being degraded.

Solution to Problem

[0009] An indoor unit of an air-conditioning apparatus according to the
invention includes a casing being formed with an air inlet in an upper
portion of the casing and with an air outlet on a lower front side of the
casing; a plurality of blower fans, including a propeller type or a mixed
flow type, being provided on a downstream side of the air inlet so as to
be adjacent to each other along a left-right direction of the casing; a
heat exchanger being provided on a downstream side of the blower fans and
on an upstream side of the air outlet, the heat exchanger exchanging heat
between air that has been blown out from the blower fans and a
refrigerant; and a plurality of vertical vanes being oscillatably
provided in the air outlet in the left-right direction, the vertical
vanes deflecting airflow to be blown out from the air outlet in a
left/right direction, in which at time of deflecting the airflow to be
blown out from the air outlet with the vertical vanes in at least one
direction in the left/right direction, an air volume of a blower fan of
the blower fans disposed on a leftmost side or a rightmost side of the
vertical vanes corresponding to the deflection direction is reduced
relative to an air volume of a blower fan other than the blower fan
disposed on the leftmost side or a rightmost side.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

[0010] In the invention, the airflow near the side end portion of the air
outlet on the deflection side is smaller relative to the airflow flowing
in other portions of the air outlet. Accordingly, when the airflow near
the side end portion of the air outlet on the deflection side merges with
the airflow flowing in the other portions, a directional component that
alters the merged airflow towards the front direction is suppressed.
Thus, the general direction (the air direction) of the airflow that is
blown out from the air outlet can be approximated to the desired
direction, and the left/right airflow angle of the air outlet can be made
larger than conventional ones. In the present invention, since the
vertical vanes do not protrude out from the air outlet, the vertical
vanes being easily in contact with the hand of the user and the
degradation of the design can be prevented.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0011] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of an
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
viewed from a front upper right direction.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
viewed from a front lower right direction.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view (a cross-section taken along
an imaginary section in a left-right direction) of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a side cross-sectional view (a cross-section taken along
an imaginary section in a front-back direction) of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention.

[0015] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention in
which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to the
left/right direction, while not changing air volumes of each blower fan.

[0016] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention in
which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to the
right.

[0017] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating another explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to
the right.

[0018] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating a further explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to
the right.

[0019] FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention in
which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to the
left.

[0020] FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating another explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to
the left.

[0021] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating a further explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to
the left.

[0022] FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating a still another explanatory operation state of the indoor
unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the
invention in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is
deflected to the right.

[0023] FIG. 13 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating a yet another explanatory operation state of the indoor unit
of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the
invention in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is
deflected to the right.

[0024] FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating a still yet another explanatory operation state of the
indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1
of the invention in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet
is deflected to the right.

[0025] FIG. 15 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating further still, yet another explanatory operation state of
the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment
1 of the invention in which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet
is deflected to the right.

[0026] FIG. 16 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating further still, still yet another explanatory operation state
of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 1 of the invention in which an airflow to be blown out from an
air outlet is deflected to the right.

[0027] FIG. 17 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating further still, still yet another explanatory operation state
of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 1 of the invention in which an airflow to be blown out from an
air outlet is deflected to the right.

[0028] FIG. 18 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating further still, still yet another explanatory operation state
of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus according to
Embodiment 1 of the invention in which an to be airflow blown out from an
air outlet is deflected to the right.

[0029] FIG. 19 is a side cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention.

[0030] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention in
which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is directed to the
front side.

[0031] FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention in
which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to the
right.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

Embodiment 1

[0032] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an indoor unit of an
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
viewed from a front upper right direction. FIG. 2 is a perspective view
of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus viewed from a front
lower right direction. FIG. 3 is a front cross-sectional view (a
cross-section taken along an imaginary section in a left-right direction)
of the indoor unit of the air-conditioning apparatus. Further, FIG. 4 is
a side cross-sectional view (a cross-section taken along an imaginary
section in a front-back direction) of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus. Description of an indoor unit 100 of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 will be subsequently
described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. Note that in each of the
subsequent diagrams, the dimensions, shapes, and the like of the
constituents may be different among the diagrams and some constituents
may be not shown in the diagram in order to facilitate understanding of
the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1.

[0033] The indoor unit 100 includes a casing 1 that is formed with air
inlets 2 in its upper portion and an air outlet 3 formed in its lower
front side. Further, the casing 1 includes therein a plurality of blower
fans 4 provided with a fan guard 4a on the upstream side, a heat
exchanger 5 that exchanges heat between air suctioned into the casing 1
and a refrigerant, and the like.

[0034] Specifically, blower fans 4 are provided on the downstream side of
the air inlets 2 so as to be adjacent to each other along the left-right
direction of the casing 1. In Embodiment 1, three blower fans 4 are
provided adjacent to each other. Further, the casing 1 is provided with
three air inlets 2 adjacent to each other in positions corresponding to
the blower fans 4. Each of the inlet ports 2 is, for example, of a
substantially rectangular shape formed with, for example, lattice bars 2a
therein. The indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 is further
provided with a filter 6, which removes dust and the like from indoor air
flowing into the casing 1, between the air inlets 2 and the blower fans
4. Note that in Embodiment 1, propeller fans that are axial fans are
employed as the blower fans 4. Not limited to the axial fans, mixed flow
fans may be employed as the blower fans 4.

[0035] The heat exchanger 5 is provided on the downstream side of the
blower fans 4 and on the upstream side of the air outlet 3. This heat
exchanger 5 has, for example, a substantially inverted V-shape in a cross
sectional view and are provided below with a drain pan 7 that drains
drain condensed on the heat exchanger 5 to the outside of the indoor unit
100. The drain pan 7 includes a front side drain pan 7a disposed below
the front lower end of the heat exchanger 5 and includes a rear side
drain pan 7b disposed below the rear lower end of the heat exchanger 5.
The front side drain pan 7a and the rear side drain pan 7b are integrally
formed and form therebetween a nozzle portion that communicates with the
air outlet 3.

[0036] The indoor unit 100 according to the Embodiment 1 is further
provided in the air outlet 3 with vertical vanes 10 and a horizontal vane
20 that deflect the airflow that is to be blown out from the air outlet
3. The vertical vanes 10 are tabular components that horizontally deflect
the airflow that is to be blown out from the air outlet 3. A plurality of
vertical vanes 10 are provided adjacent to each other along the
left-right direction in the air outlet 3. Each of these vertical vanes 10
is supported so as to be oscillatable in the left/right direction with
the support shaft 11 that is protrudingly provided on an upper side of
the nozzle (specifically, a rear portion of the front side drain pan 7a).
Further, each vertical vane 10 is connected with a connecting rod. That
is, it is structured such that by moving the connecting rod in the
left-right direction with a drive unit (not shown), each vertical vane 10
is oscillated in the left/right direction with the support shaft 11 as
its pivotal center, thus allowing the airflow, which is blown out from
the air outlet 3, to be deflected in the left/right direction.

[0037] The horizontal vane 20 deflects the airflow that is to be blown out
from the air outlet 3 in the up/down direction and is a tabular component
that extends along the left-right direction of the air outlet 3. This
horizontal vane 20 is supported so as to be oscillatable in the up/down
direction with support units 21 that are each provided at the opposite
side end portions of the air outlet 3. The horizontal vane 20 is further
supported so as to be oscillatable in the up/down direction at a midway
portion thereof (more specifically, substantially middle portions of the
horizontal vane 20 and the air outlet 3) with the support unit 21 in
order to prevent noise such as chattering sound from being generated when
air is sent out from the air outlet 3. Note that in Embodiment 1, the
horizontal vane 20 is constituted by two horizontal vanes (a first
horizontal vane 20a and a second horizontal vane 20b) (See FIGS. 1 and
2). The first horizontal vane 20a is supported so as to be oscillatable
in the up/down direction with a support unit 21 provided at the left end
of the air outlet 3 and a support unit 21 that is provided in the midway
portion. The second horizontal vane 20b is supported so as to be
oscillatable in the up/down direction with a support unit 21 provided at
the right end of the air outlet 3 and a support unit 21 that is provided
in the midway portion. That is, it is structured such that by oscillating
the horizontal vane 20 in the up/down direction with a driving unit (not
shown), the airflow, which is blown out from the air outlet 3, is
deflected in the up/down direction. Note that in FIG. 3 and subsequent
diagrams, the first horizontal vane 20a and the second horizontal vane
20b are illustrated as an integral unit.

(Description of Operation)

[0038] The indoor unit 100 of the air-conditioning apparatus configured as
above operates as below.

[0039] The rotation of the blower fans 4 draws the indoor air into the
casing 1 through the air inlets 2. This indoor air is sent to the heat
exchanger 5 after the dust therein is removed by the filter 6. The indoor
air that has been sent to the heat exchanger 5 exchanges heat with the
refrigerant flowing in the heat exchanger 5 and is blown out from the air
outlet 3 as air-conditioned air. At this point, the vertical vanes 10
deflect the airflow that is to be blown out from the air outlet 3 in the
left/right direction. Further, the horizontal vane 20 deflects the
airflow that is to be blown out from the air outlet 3 in the up/down
direction.

[0040] Herein, a concern illustrated in FIG. 5 arises when the vertical
vanes 10 deflect the airflow that is to be blown out from the air outlet
3 in the left/right direction.

[0041] FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention in
which an airflow to be blown out from an air outlet is deflected to the
left/right direction while the air volumes of each blower fan are not
changed. Note that in FIG. 5, a state is illustrated in which the airflow
to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right with the
vertical vanes 10.

[0042] As illustrated in FIG. 5, in the case in which the airflow to be
blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right (blown to the
right), when the deflection angle is large, the airflow that has been
deflected by one or some vertical vanes 10 disposed near the right end
side of the air outlet 3 impinges on the right side wall 1a of the casing
1; hence, the direction of the airflow is disadvantageously altered to
the front direction. Further, when the airflow that has been altered to
the front direction merges with the other airflow that has been deflected
to the right (that is, the airflow that has been deflected to the desired
direction), the general direction of the airflow that has been blown out
from the air outlet 3 (that is, the air direction) disadvantageously
becomes one that is altered to the front direction relative to the
desired direction.

[0043] Similarly, in the case in which the airflow to be blown out from
the air outlet 3 is deflected to the left (blown to the left), when the
deflection angle is large, the airflow that has been deflected by one or
some vertical vanes 10 disposed near the left end side of the air outlet
3 impinges on the left side wall 1a of the casing 1; hence, the direction
of the airflow is disadvantageously altered to the front direction.
Further, when the airflow that has been altered to the front direction
merges with the other airflow that has been deflected to the left (that
is, the airflow that has been deflected to the desired direction), the
general direction of the airflow that has been blown out from the air
outlet 3 (that is, the air direction) disadvantageously becomes one that
is altered to the front direction relative to the desired direction.

[0044] Consequently, the left/right airflow angle (the allowed maximum
angle of the airflow in the left/right direction) of the air outlet 3
becomes smaller than the desired left/right airflow angle.

[0045] Now, in the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 that is
provided with a plurality of blower fans 4 adjacent to each other in the
left-right direction, when the airflow that is to be blown out from the
air outlet 3 is deflected to the right, the air volume of each of the
blower fans 4 is controlled, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8.

[0046] FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention in
which the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is deflected to the
right.

[0047] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 6, when the airflow to be blown
out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right (blown to the right),
the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed in the rightmost position
(that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the rightmost side of the vertical
vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction) is reduced.
Accordingly, the air volume of the airflow, whose direction has been
altered to the front direction by being impinged to the right side wall
1a of the casing 1, becomes relatively small compared to the airflow
flowing in the other position that has been deflected in the desired
direction. Thus, when the airflow that has been altered to the front
direction merges with the other airflow that has been deflected to the
right (that is, the airflow that has been deflected to the desired
direction), the directional component altering the merged airflow to the
front direction can be suppressed. Consequently, the direction of the
airflow that is blown out from the air outlet 3 can be approximated to
the initially desired direction.

[0048] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating another explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
in which the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is deflected to
the right.

[0049] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 7, when the airflow to be blown
out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right (blown to the right),
the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed in the
rightmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the rightmost
side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction)
are increased. With this operation method as well, the air volume of the
airflow, whose direction has been altered to the front direction by being
impinged to the right side wall 1a of the casing 1, becomes relatively
small compared to the airflow flowing in the other position that has been
deflected in the desired direction. Thus, when the airflow that has been
altered to the front direction merges with the other airflow that has
been deflected to the right (that is, the airflow that has been deflected
to the desired direction), the directional component altering the merged
airflow to the front direction can be suppressed. Consequently, the
direction of the airflow that is blown out from the air outlet 3 can be
approximated to the initially desired direction.

[0050] FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating a further explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 1 of the invention
in which the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is deflected to
the right.

[0051] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 8, when the airflow to be blown
out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right (blown to the right),
the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed in the rightmost position
(that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the rightmost side of the vertical
vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction) is reduced, and the
air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed in the
rightmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the rightmost
side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction)
are increased. With this operation method as well, the air volume of the
airflow, whose direction has been altered to the front direction by being
impinged to the right side wall 1a of the casing 1, becomes relatively
small compared to the airflow flowing in the other position that has been
deflected in the desired direction. Thus, when the airflow that has been
altered to the front direction merges with the other airflow that has
been deflected to the right, the directional component altering the
merged airflow to the front direction can be suppressed. Consequently,
the direction of the airflow that is blown out from the air outlet 3 can
be approximated to the initially desired direction.

[0052] Furthermore, an advantage described below can be obtained with the
operation method illustrated in FIG. 8. Assuming that the air volume of
each of the three blower fans 4 is 3.0 m3/min and the total air
volume discharged from the air outlet 3 is 9.0 m3/min, for example,
when the airflow that is to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is
deflected to the right (blown to the right), the air volume of the blower
fan 4 on the right side is reduced to 2.0 m3/min and the air volumes
of the remaining blower fans 4 are each increased to 3.5 m3/min.
With this, the direction of the airflow that is blown out from the air
outlet 3 can be approximated to the initially desired direction without
changing the total air volume of 9.0 m3/min.

[0053] Similarly, in the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 that is
provided with a plurality of blower fans 4 adjacent to each other in the
left-right direction, when the airflow that is to be blown out from the
air outlet 3 is deflected to the left, the air volume of each of the
blower fans 4 is controlled, for example, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to
11.

[0054] That is, as illustrated in FIG. 9, for example, when the airflow to
be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the left (blown to the
left), the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed in the leftmost
position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the leftmost side of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction) is reduced.

[0055] Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10, for example, when the airflow
to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the left (blown to
the left), the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one
disposed in the leftmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on
the leftmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the
deflection direction) are increased.

[0056] Furthermore, as illustrated in FIG. 11, for example, when the
airflow to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the left
(blown to the left),the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed in the
leftmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the leftmost
side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction)
is reduced, and the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one
disposed in the leftmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on
the leftmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the
deflection direction) are increased.

[0057] Similar to when blowing to the right, when blowing to the left, by
controlling the air volume of each blower fan 4 as above, the direction
of the airflow that is blown out from the air outlet 3 can be
approximated to the initially desired direction. Further, in the
operation method illustrated in FIG. 11, an advantage can be obtained in
which the direction of the airflow that is blown out from the air outlet
3 can be approximated to the initially desired direction without changing
the total air volume.

[0058] As above, in the indoor unit 100 of the air-conditioning apparatus
configured as in Embodiment 1, the air volume of the blower fan 4
disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes
10 corresponding to the deflection direction is reduced relative to the
air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed on the
leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10
corresponding to the deflection direction. Accordingly, the left/right
airflow angle (the allowed maximum angle of the airflow in the left/right
direction) of the air outlet 3 can be approximated to the initially
desired left/right airflow angle, and the left/right airflow angle of the
air outlet 3 can be made larger than conventional ones. Since the indoor
unit 100 according to Embodiment 1 does not need the vertical vanes 10 to
protrude out from the air outlet 3, the indoor unit 100 is capable of
preventing the vertical vanes 10 from being easily in contact with the
hand of the user and the design from being degraded.

[0059] Note that although in Embodiment 1, a case in which three blower
fans 4 are provided has been described, the invention can be embodied if
two or more blower fans 4 are provided.

[0060] Further, the setting methods of the air volume of each of the
blower fans 4 described in Embodiment 1 are exemplary and explanatory
only. For example, the air volume of each of the blower fans 4 may be set
as below.

[0061] For example, there are cases in which a vertical vane 10 cannot be
disposed in a certain position due to a structural restriction of the
indoor unit 100 (for example, the disposed place of the support unit 21
supporting the midway portion of the horizontal vane 20), and the gap
between the vertical vanes 10 that are disposed at that position becomes
large. In such a case, the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than
the one disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction may be set as
FIG. 12, for example.

[0062] That is, when the airflow that has flowed out of the heat exchanger
5 is deflected with the vertical vanes 10, the neighboring ends of the
vertical vanes need to be near each other in planar view. Ideally, when
the airflow that has flowed out of the heat exchanger 5 is deflected with
the vertical vanes 10, it is preferable that the neighboring ends of the
vertical vanes overlap each other in planar view. However, when a
vertical vane 10 cannot be disposed in the substantially middle portion
of the air outlet 3, the gap between the neighboring vertical vanes 10
that are disposed in this portion becomes large and, thus, the airflow
passing through this portion is directed to a more front direction then
that of the desired direction. As a result, the general direction of the
airflow that has been blown out from the air outlet 3 (that is, the air
direction) disadvantageously becomes one that is altered to the front
direction relative to the desired direction due to the airflow passing
through this portion.

[0063] At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 12, in a case in which the
airflow to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right,
when the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed in
the rightmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the
rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection
direction) are increased, the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than
the one disposed above the gap between the vertical vanes 10 formed with
a larger gap than the other gaps (the blower fan 4 disposed in the middle
in FIG. 12) may be increased. As such, since the airflow passing through
the gap between the vertical vanes 10 formed with a larger gap than the
other gaps (that is, the directional component that alters the general
direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 3 towards the
front direction) does not increase, the direction of the airflow that is
blown out from the air outlet 3 can be approximated to the initially
desired direction. Further, for example, in a case in which the airflow
to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right, when the
air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed in the
rightmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the rightmost
side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction)
are increased, the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed above the gap
between the vertical vanes 10 formed with a larger gap than the other
gaps (the blower fan 4 disposed in the middle in FIG. 12) may be
decreased. Since the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed above the
gap between the vertical vanes 10 formed with a larger gap than the other
gaps (that is, the directional component that alters the general
direction of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 3 towards the
front direction) decreases, the direction of the airflow that is blown
out from the air outlet 3 can be approximated to the initially desired
direction.

[0064] Needless to say, the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than
the one disposed above the gap between the vertical vanes 10 formed with
a larger gap than the other gaps may be increased and the air volume of
the blower fan 4 disposed above the gap between the vertical vanes 10
formed with a larger gap than the other gaps may be reduced.

[0065] Furthermore, for example, there are cases in which a structure,
such as the support unit 21 supporting the midway portion of the
horizontal vane 20, occupies the space of the air outlet 3. In such a
case, the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed on
the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10
corresponding to the deflection direction may be set as FIG. 13, for
example.

[0066] When there is a structure that occupies the space of the air outlet
3, the airflow flowing through the air outlet 3 (the airflow that has
been deflected by the vertical vanes 10 or the airflow that is flowing
into the vertical vanes 10) is impeded. Accordingly, there are cases in
which the aerodynamic performance of the indoor unit 100 drops or in
which noise of the indoor unit 100 increases.

[0067] At this time, as illustrated in FIG. 13, in a case in which the
airflow to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right,
when the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed in
the rightmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the
rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection
direction) are increased, the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than
the one disposed above the structure occupying the space of the air
outlet 3 (the blower fan 4 disposed in the middle in FIG. 13) may be
increased. As such, since the airflow impeded by the structure does not
increase, the direction of the airflow that is blown out from the air
outlet 3 can be approximated to the initially desired direction, as well
as preventing drop of aerodynamic performance and increase of noise of
the indoor unit 100. Further, for example, in a case in which the airflow
to be blown out from the air outlet 3 is deflected to the right, when the
air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed in the
rightmost position (that is, the blower fan 4 disposed on the rightmost
side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction)
are increased, the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed above the
structure occupying the space of the air outlet 3 (the blower fan 4
disposed in the middle in FIG. 12) may be reduced. Since the air volume
of the airflow impeded by the structure is reduced, the direction of the
airflow that is blown out from the air outlet 3 can be approximated to
the initially desired direction, as well as preventing drop of
aerodynamic performance and increase of noise of the indoor unit 100.

[0068] Needless to say, the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other than
the one disposed above the structure occupying the space of the air
outlet 3 may be increased and the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed
above the structure occupying the space of the air outlet 3 may be
reduced.

[0069] Further, for example, depending on the outer diameters of the
blower fans 4 or the pitch between the blower fans 4, there are cases in
which the distribution of the airflow blown out from the air outlet 3
becomes nonuniform when the air volume of a blower fan 4 is extremely
reduced while the air volume of the neighboring blower fan 4 is extremely
increased. In such a case, the air volume of each of the blower fans 4
may be set as FIG. 14, for example. That is, the air volumes of the
plurality of blower fans 4 are progressively increased from the blower
fan 4 on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10
corresponding to the deflection direction to the one on the opposite side
of the deflection direction. By controlling the air volume of each of the
blower fans 4 as such, the direction of the airflow that is blown out
from the air outlet 3 can be approximated to the initially desired
direction, as well as preventing the distribution of the airflow blown
out from the air outlet 3 to become nonuniform.

[0070] Further, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, the difference
between "the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed on the leftmost side
or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the
deflection direction" and "the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other
than the one disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction" may be
changed depending on the deflection angle of the vertical vanes 10 (that
is, the pivot angle a of the vertical vanes 10). That is, the difference
between "the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed on the leftmost side
or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the
deflection direction" and the "the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other
than the one disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction" may be
increased as the deflection angle of the vertical vanes 10 (that is, the
pivot angle a of the vertical vanes 10) becomes larger. For example, when
the difference between "the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed on
the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10
corresponding to the deflection direction" and the "the air volumes of
the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed on the leftmost side or the
rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection
direction" are the same, the larger the deflection angle of the vertical
vanes 10 (that is, the pivot angle a of the vertical vanes 10) becomes,
the larger the air volume impinging to the casing (that is, the
directional component that alters the general direction of the airflow
blown out from the air outlet 3 towards the front direction) becomes. For
example, when the difference between "the air volume of the blower fan 4
disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes
10 corresponding to the deflection direction" and the "the air volumes of
the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed on the leftmost side or the
rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection
direction" are the same, the larger the deflection angle of the vertical
vanes 10 (that is, the pivot angle a of the vertical vanes 10) becomes,
the airflow blown out from the air outlet 3 becomes more likely to be
deviated from the desired direction. At this time, by changing the air
volume of each of the blower fans 4 as illustrated in FIG. 15, it is
possible to perform linear change of the general direction of the airflow
blown out from the air outlet 3 when changing the airflow blown out from
the air outlet 3 from a forward direction blowing state to a left/right
direction blowing state.

[0071] Further, in Embodiment 1, although examples in which each vertical
vanes 10 oscillate in the same direction have been described, the
vertical vanes 10 may be made to oscillate in a manner as illustrated in
FIG. 16, for example. That is, in the indoor unit 100 illustrated in FIG.
16, a group of vertical vanes 10 disposed on the left side oscillates to
the left thus generating an airflow blown out to the left. Whereas, a
group of vertical vanes 10 disposed on the right side oscillates to the
right thus generating airflow blown out to the right. In such an indoor
unit 100 configured as such, the air volume of the blower fans 4 each
disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the corresponding
group of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction
(the blower fan 4 on the left corresponding to the group of vertical
vanes 10 on the left side, and the blower fan 4 on the right
corresponding to the group of vertical vanes 10 on the right side) may be
made relatively small compared to the air volume of the blower fan 4 (the
middle blower fan 4 in FIG. 16) other than the blower fans 4 each
disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the corresponding
group of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction.
As such, the left/right airflow angle of the air outlet can be made wider
than conventional ones while preventing the vertical vanes 10 from being
easily in contact with the hand of the user and the design from being
degraded.

[0072] Note that in such an indoor unit 100 whose airflows blown out from
the air outlet 3 are each different between the groups of a plurality of
vertical vanes 10, an advantage such as the one in FIG. 17 may be
obtained by differentiating the air volume of each blower fan 4. That is,
in the indoor unit 100 illustrated in FIG. 17, a group of vertical vanes
10 disposed on the left side oscillates to the right thus generating an
airflow blown out to the right. Whereas, a group of vertical vanes 10
disposed on the right side oscillates to the left thus generating airflow
blown out to the left. By controlling the oscillating direction of each
group of the vertical vanes 10 as such, it will be possible to supply a
converged airflow to be blown out from the air outlet 3. At this time,
there is a concern that the airflow becomes a cause of loss and noise due
to impingement of the airflows that has passed through the vertical vanes
10. However, as illustrated in FIG. 17, by reducing the air volume of
each of the blower fans 4 at opposite ends and increasing the air volume
of the blower fan 4 in the middle, and further by setting the angle of
the vertical vanes 10 more to the front side, loss and noise can be
reduced and stable airflow can be supplied.

[0073] Further, in the indoor unit 100 having groups of the plurality of
vertical vanes 10 in which each group blows out different airflows from
the air outlet 3 as illustrated in FIG. 16, in a case in which there is a
plurality of blower fans 4 other than the blower fans 4 each disposed on
the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the corresponding group to of
the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction, needless
to say, the air volume of each blower fan 4 may differ as illustrated in
FIGS. 5 to 15. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 18, the air volume of
the blower fans 4 each disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost
side of the corresponding group of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to
the deflection direction (the blower fan 4 on the left corresponding to
the group of vertical vanes 10 on the left side, and the blower fan 4 on
the right corresponding to the group of vertical vanes 10 on the right
side) may be made relatively small compared to the air volumes of the
blower fans 4 other than the blower fans 4 each disposed on the leftmost
side or the rightmost side of the corresponding group of the vertical
vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction. Among the blower fans
4 other than the blower fans 4 each disposed on the leftmost side or the
rightmost side of the corresponding group of the vertical vanes 10
corresponding to the deflection direction, the air volumes of the blower
fans 4 other than the blower fan 4 above the support unit 21 (the
structure occupying the space of the air outlet 3) supporting the midway
portion of the horizontal vane 20 may be increased. Further, the
difference between "the air volume of the blower fans 4 each disposed on
the leftmost or the rightmost side of the corresponding group of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction" and "the air
volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the blower fans 4 each disposed
on the leftmost or the rightmost side of the corresponding group of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction" may be
changed depending on the deflection angle of the vertical vanes 10 (that
is, the pivot angle a of the vertical vanes 10).

[0074] Note that in the above description, whether to change the airflow
blown out from the air outlet 3 relative to time is not mentioned;
however, the airflow blown out from the air outlet 3 may be fixed (that
is, the airflow blown out from the air outlet 3 may not be changed
relative to time) or, it goes without saying, the airflow blown out from
the air outlet 3 may be changed along with the elapse of time (a swing
operation, so to speak). It is possible to perform linear change of the
airflow blown out from the air outlet 3 by changing the difference
between "the air volume of the blower fan 4 disposed on the leftmost side
or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the
deflection direction" and "the air volumes of the blower fans 4 other
than the one disposed on the leftmost side or the rightmost side of the
vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the deflection direction" depending on
the deflection angle of the vertical vanes 10 (that is, the pivot angle a
of the vertical vanes 10) when the airflow blown out from the air outlet
3 is changed along with the elapse of time.

Embodiment 2

[0075] As illustrated in Embodiment 1, the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to the invention disposes the blower
fans above the heat exchanger. That is, a space is formed below the heat
exchanger where, in the indoor unit of the known air-conditioning
apparatus, a blower fan (a cross flow fan, for example) is disposed.
Accordingly, the vertical vanes 10 may be configured to have a
below-described shape by utilizing the space. It should be noted that, in
Embodiment 2, items not specifically described are the same as those of
Embodiment 1, and like functions and configurations are denoted by like
reference signs.

[0076] FIG. 19 is a side cross-sectional view of an indoor unit of an
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention.
FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional view)
illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention in
which the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is directed to the
front side. FIG. 21 is an explanatory diagram (front cross-sectional
view) illustrating an explanatory operation state of the indoor unit of
the air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 of the invention
in which the airflow to be blown out from the air outlet is deflected to
the right.

[0077] In the indoor unit 100 according to Embodiment 2, the upper ends of
the vertical vanes 10 are extended into a space surrounded by the heat
exchanger 5 that is formed into a substantially inverted V-shape in a
cross sectional view. That is, each vertical vane 10 according to
Embodiment 2 has a longer length in the direction of the airflow flowing
through the air outlet 3 (hereinafter, referred to as "airflow direction
length") compared with the airflow direction length of the vertical vanes
10 illustrated in Embodiment 1. As mentioned above, when the airflow that
has flowed out of the heat exchanger 5 is deflected with the vertical
vanes 10, the neighboring ends of the vertical vanes need to be near each
other in planar view. Accordingly, in Embodiment 2, since the airflow
direction length of the vertical vanes 10 are longer than the airflow
direction length of the vertical vanes 10 illustrated in Embodiment 1,
the number of vertical vanes 10 disposed in the air outlet 3 can be
reduced (see FIG. 20).

[0078] As above, in the indoor unit 100 of the air-conditioning apparatus
configured as in Embodiment 2, similar to Embodiment 1, the air volume of
the blower fan 4 disposed on the far side of the vertical vanes 10
corresponding to the deflection direction is reduced relative to the air
volumes of the blower fans 4 other than the one disposed on the leftmost
side or the rightmost side of the vertical vanes 10 corresponding to the
deflection direction (see FIG. 21). Accordingly, similar to Embodiment 1,
the left/right airflow angle (the allowed maximum angle of the airflow in
the left/right direction) of the air outlet 3 can be approximated to the
initially desired left/right airflow angle, and the left/right airflow
angle of the air outlet 3 can be made larger than conventional ones.
Similar to Embodiment 1, since the indoor unit 100 according to
Embodiment 2 does not need the vertical vanes 10 to protrude out from the
air outlet 3, the indoor unit 100 is capable of preventing the vertical
vanes 10 from being easily in contact with the hand of the user and the
design from being degraded.

[0079] Further, in the indoor unit 100 of the air-conditioning apparatus
according to Embodiment 2, since the number of vertical vanes 10 can be
reduced, compared to the indoor unit 100 illustrated in Embodiment 1,
impeding of the airflow passing through the air outlet 3 by the vertical
vanes 10 can be suppressed. Accordingly, the indoor unit 100 of the
air-conditioning apparatus according to Embodiment 2 can further suppress
drop of aerodynamic performance of the indoor unit 100 and further
suppress increase in noise of the indoor unit 100, compared to the indoor
unit 100 illustrated in Embodiment 1.

[0080] Note that in Embodiment 2, an example in which the heat exchanger 5
is formed of a substantially inverted V-shape in a cross sectional view
has been described, the shape of the heat exchanger 5 is not limited to
this. The shape of the heat exchanger 5 may be any that has a concave
shape in the lower portion in a cross sectional view, such as an N-shape
or an M-shape in a cross sectional view. That is, as long as the heat
exchanger 5 is shaped so as to have a concave shape in the lower portion
in a cross sectional view, the upper end of the vertical vanes 10 can be
extended and the advantage described in Embodiment 2 can be obtained.